Ferguson Pledges to Get Wearable Cameras for Their Police Officers

Oh look, some good news coming out of the Ferguson: in a statement, the City of Ferguson pledged to undergo a series of significant reforms to repair their relationship with their community, and one of them will put cameras on every police officer.

Along with committing to diversify the nearly all-white police force, the City will raise money to equip their officers with vest cameras and dash cameras, a practice already in place in several cities and widely credited with reducing crime rates. In Rialto, CA, the entire police force is required to wear cameras, and according to the WSJ, upon implementation, “the use of force by officers declined 60%, and citizen complaints against police fell 88%. While wearable cameras are pretty pricey — Gizmodo points out that the most popular model in police departments costs $600 — there are dozens of other cost-effective options, including Google Glass.

It’s unclear if the Ferguson Police Department or the various police unions of St. Louis will accept these reforms, but considering how often they like to call poorly-planned press conferences, we’re confident we’ll hear their opinions soon.

[h/t The Wire]
[Image via Hattanas Kumchai / Shutterstock.com]

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